Submit Your Stories for the Autism Book Project

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

Submit Your Stories for the Autism Book Project

My name is Laura Regan. I am the cousin of a much loved Autistic child and a long time supporter of autism research, awareness and support. I have a background in linguistics and psychology as the apply to child development and developmental differences.

I have been reading the statements, poems, requests for comfort and attempts to give comfort and I would like to take the messages a step further and gather some of the best to put in a book both to raise Autism awareness and support Autism Research. Monies from sales will be sent to various autism charities. I think some the postings would be so useful to others that don't use Facebook or who haven't discovered the websites and are still struggling with the diagnosis or need to feel someone out there understands.

Submissions can be anonymous or personalized. MAX a couple of pages but they can be short or long. They can be success stories, stories of moments of enlightenment or the moment of diagnosis, Quotes that relate to autism, quotes with another way to look at autism, poems...

My uncle for instance has a lovely story of how he defended one of his autistic son's classmates and her mother when he saw her being looked down upon by a clueless passer by who demanded she just shut her child up. My uncle came up with a bunch of positives that he could say about his son and this child that the attacking woman could never say about her own children because her children weren't autistic.

I've read so many postings on various sites of how parents were told their children wouldn't amount to something and the children surpassed the expectations.

Also stories of how it feels to have the diagnosis would be of great use to people feeling the same to realize they aren't alone. Some of the quotes of how Autism is a difference in a good way and so on are awesome for people living with autistic people or who don't understand autism.

Basically I'm looking for anything that will bring Autism to the forefront of people's minds, anything from parents, families, friends of autistic children and adults to support parents, families, friend of autistic children and adults to show they aren't alone.

Submissions should be sent to me at autism@quinpool.ca

Here are some possible points you can use some, all or none.

- Your memories of diagnosis,

- what led to diagnosis (why did you have him examined),

- how you felt when you heard the diagnosis,

- what's going on now, how has life change,

- what do you see you look to the future,

- do people look at him or you different,

- does your family understand his needs,

- you could also tell me some funny autism related stories,

- what's he like, brag about him, how is he unique to you

- does he do things that makes you think wow what must it be like to be him or wow the doctors said he'd never do that.

- What's your philosophy about the way the world looks at autism as opposed to the way you see it.

- Did your view of autism change from what it was before the diagnosis.

- what have you hear from people outside the autism world about autism and what do you think about their ignorance or insights.

Any of these are ideas for this book.

My goals are to:

1) make people look at autism in a positive like,

2) increase compassion for autistic people and families of autistic children,

3) show families of children with autism or autistic people in general that there are people out there who understand, they aren't alone (not everyone has time for or uses Facebook or other social networking sites).

As I said, you can tell me what you like. Send me things you'd like to share, that you think people should know about your child and how he affects the world. You can send me multiple submissions or a couple page summary.

Thank you for your help and best wishes for the future.

Laura